"Just keep going."
Run Elephant Run
is an Endless Running web game by jmtb02 in 2009. It features the same elephant from other works like Achievement Unlocked and This Is the Only Level. As Elephant, you embark on a global journey to reunite with your wife. At each location on the way, you must perform a specific objective, usually surviving for a certain amount of time, while the screen constantly scrolls.
Alongside the other games featuring the elephant, this game is part of The Elephant Collection, a Compilation Re-release on Steam that was released on 6th November 2023.
Run Elephant Run contains examples of:
- A.I. Roulette: The police will throw bombs at random angles and speeds.
- Big Bad: Mr. Thompson, who is also the only intentional villain depicted.
- Big Damn Reunion: Elephant and his wife finally reunite at the end of the game. The background turns to white, and they share a kiss.
- Big Heroic Run: Elephant's crowdsurfing journeys to get through Los Aneles, London, and Mali on his way to Africa.
- Checkpoint: Each failure lets the player restart from that segment's beginning, an option explicitly referred to as "Start From Checkpoint."
- Cool Car: The limo Elephant starts the game in. He leaves it, however, to escape to his wife.
- Crowd Surfing: In Los Angeles, London, and Mali. In London, Elephant must dodge beach balls thrown by the crowd.
- A Dog Named "Dog": An elephant named Elephant.
- Double Jump: Comes with a cool flip.
- Endless Running Game: Even the segment that lacks damaging obstacles features autoscroll. Justified in Los Angeles, London, and Mali, where throngs of fans are carrying Elephant along.
- Fantastic Fireworks: The crowd in Mali shoots heart-shaped fireworks into the air.
- Felony Misdemeanor: Not that Elephant's contract extension was necessarily legal to begin with, but breach of contract usually does not require police cars, especially when the police throw bombs at him.
- Foul Waterfowl: Downplayed. Geese blindly fly towards your plane and risk knocking you off–or killing you, it's unclear–but they don't purposefully aim at you.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- Most of the letter from Mr. Thompson is easily readable, but the bottom showing his signature, name, and title (President of Trombone Studios) is very hard to catch.
- The location Elephant's final segment, southeastern Mali, only flashes very quickly. Unlike with other stops, like London and Greece, there aren't recognizable landmarks or features to identify the locations.
- Hot Pursuit: Played with. The police pull up on Elephant, but instead of chasing him, they stay ahead of him, throwing bombs back to hinder his escape.
- Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels: Easy, Normal, and Insane.
- Improbable Piloting Skills: Elephant manages to fly the plane even when jumping above it.
- Incredibly Obvious Bomb: The bombs thrown by the police are black spike balls that blink red.
- Malevolent Architecture: Inexplicably-floating greek columns can "end your escape" when flying to Africa.
- Not What I Signed on For: Mr. Thompson extends Elephant's contract for two years against his wishes, which begins the game's plot.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Elephant's wife is pink, and Elephant is blue.
- Race for Your Love: Elephant's goal, whether he is literally running, flying, or sailing from Los Angeles to his wife in Africa.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Elephant escapes L.A. when Mr. Thompson tries to forcibly extend his contact by two years.
- Smooch of Victory: With your wife at the game's end.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: One segment has you gather money for a plane ticket instead of trying to survive.
- Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing: You don't need to move at all to collect enough money for the plane ticket in New York.
